A Man Blessed
by Quickbeam10
Summary: A Coda to the Bonanza Episode- "The Gift". Part 1 of 2.


A Man Blessed- A Coda to "The Gift" Part 1 of 2

_**A/N- It is with much trepidation that I started this coda to "The Gift", which is probably one the best Bonanza episodes ever written and produced and perhaps should not be fooled with by trying to write an addition to the ending. I have had this part typed up for a month or so, but tweaked it tonight. It contains some original series' dialogue which is noted in italics. I could not have written it thus far without the help of the Bonanza websites I visit. Thank you! I have been battling periods of uncreativity for some time now, but hope to get back to my writing and complete my unfinished projects. Though they have not been updated for sometime now, they are not out of mind.** **Please bear with me as I work through this struggle.**_

"_He's alright boys,"_ or so I wanted to believe at that moment as I watched Hoss and Adam help their still unsteady brother mount up upon Adam's horse.

Home and a return to normalcy was all that I desired after spending many long hours under the hot, desert sun with only one goal in mind -to find Joseph. - A goal that had originally stirred a deep-seated fear within my heart that such an aspiration might never be realized remembering the wounded scout's report back at the army outpost.

"_Not a white man alive from here to Yuma_."

Under the threat of an Apache uprising, scorching heat, and an inhospitable terrain, I was afraid that I might never see my youngest child alive again. And all of this for what? A gift from my children to mark the passing of yet another birthday?

Though my sons' intent had been selfless with the express wish of letting me to know how much they loved me, they didn't understand. Not truly. They had not yet reached that point within their lives when a man realizes that what he holds dearest in his heart cannot be found within the limits of a parcel of land or contained within the confines of some material article – not even within the flesh and sinew found beneath the velvet coat of a most magnificent steed. Or had they come to realize this as well during those two long days spent waiting for some news from Yuma concerning their missing brother?

"_Our place is with you no matter what happens," _Adam had stated as I tried to deter both him and Hoss from joining me on my quest to find Joseph.

Not even the grimness of my pronouncement that none of us might return from this ill-fated venture could dissuade my two boys from wanting to join me as I remembered Hoss's words, "_Yessir, we understand. We also understand Little Joe's in trouble. He might even be dead, I don't know...but I do know one thing. Whatever happens to him, happens to us."_

'_Happens to us, _happens to all of us,' The words rolled around in my mind.

Wasn't that what being a _family_ was all about? Adam had to remind me of this before I agreed that we should set off together to find Joe, but the conviction within his words had been written long ago upon my heart... perhaps some thirty years earlier from the very first moment when he had been placed within my anxiously awaiting arms.

As my thoughts returned to the present, I used my forearm to push aside the brim of my tan hat to brush away the sweat beading upon my forehead before swiping at any betraying moisture lying directly beneath it within my now blurring eyes. This wouldn't do, I told myself. I couldn't allow emotion to get in the way of what was most needed at the present moment- getting Joe out of the heat of the blazing sun and back to Tyson Wells before finally returning him and all of my family back to the safety of the Ponderosa.

Taking a moment to collect myself, I did what was most useful. I reached for the canteens and began to refill them. Though the coolness of this scant trickle of flowing water felt welcoming against the heated flesh of my hands and forearms, it did little to quench my wandering thoughts as my eyes lifted almost immediately heavenward as a simple gesture of homage slipped through my lips. _"Thanks!" _

The word seemed so trivial in the face of all that had been returned to me, but I could think of nothing more adequate to state what I was feeling presently.Then not wanting to commit any further delay, I recapped each of the containers before turning to my now waiting sons.

Adam was already mounted up behind Joe. My youngest leaning heavily into his oldest brother's embrace- all but spent from his recent ordeal. His slim, lax body effectively blocking from my sight the subdued strength of his current guardian , so I did not note the increasing look of worry growing within Adam's usually unflappable gaze as Hoss's words stole my immediate attention away. "Why don't you ride with me, Pa, until we reach up with your horse?"

I had left my mount behind not very far from this location as I searched for water and had inadvertantly come upon Sam Wolfe abusing Joseph beside this meager stream. The abominable image of my trussed up son and the notion of what Wolfe had intended for him after getting his fill of water rekindled the ire that had burned so deeply within me during those fateful moments. But there was an urgency to my middle son's voice and this turbulent remembrance was quickly subdued. With the previous havoc of this day, I took Hoss's petition to mean that all my middle son wanted was leave this place and its bad memories behind him as soon as possible. For though we had found Joseph, we were still not out of immediate danger. The threat of meeting up with more comancheros or possibly worse, renegade Apaches still loomed in front of us.

Heeding Hoss's advice, I took his lead and accepted a hand up. It was awkward now with two riders in the saddle, but Hoss did his best to deepen his seat before pushing into the saddle and guiding his mount to move off. As I directed Hoss back to my horse, Adam and Joe followed a short ways behind us, and within minutes we had reached our destination.

With Hoss's help, I dismounted and moved towards my waiting horse. Then gesturing to Adam, I suggested that it would be best to have Joe change mounts as well so as not to over tax any of the animals with continued added weight under these harsh conditions. My animal was the most rested, and after giving him adequate drink, it only made sense that the burden of a second rider should fall upon him. Besides, I selfishly needed the reassurance that my youngest was once again back with us- alive and mostly unharmed, that only his close proximity could bring to me.

Not receiving any response from my eldest to my suggestion, I turned my gaze towards him while continuing to give my horse water. It was then that I caught the concerned look overshadowing his dark eyes as he replied, "I don't think that'll be such a good idea, Pa." as his gaze shifted to what appeared to be his sleeping brother upon the horse in front of him.

"Surely we could rouse him, though I know how exhausted he must be..." I started out until the grim exchange that now passed between my older two boys halted my words.

"Might be a good idea, Pa, iffin we just let Shortshanks be for now," Hoss spoke out in an attempt to talk me out of this plan of action, perhaps as a way to protect me from what was really going on. But with all that we had been through as a family these last few day, Adam could not persist to allow such a fallacy to continue even if it was well meant for the present moment to decrease my worry.

" The truth is Pa, I don't think we'd be able to rouse him even if we wanted to," Adam answered squarely. "He's not asleep, but unconscious."

"What? How? ..." I stammered, stunned by this acknowledgment. Hadn't I just proclaimed short minutes earlier that their brother was alright?

Then speaking up, I exclaimed, "I know your brother has been through a lot, but he seemed somewhat recovered before we started out. I gave him water... He spoke to me... Told me the story of what happened to him out in the desert... He was making sense..." A growing fear gnawed at the pit of my belly as my desperate words trailed off.

Staring back at me, Adam seemed hesitant to go into further explanation , but realizing the need to make immediate headway, he was brutally honest. " Pa, he's running a fever- a quite high one from the feel of him and his breathing has become rapid and shallow. He couldn't even keep down the water you gave him earlier. He coughed it up a few furlongs back before I felt him collapse into me."

Now I noted the damp spot on the left forearm of Adam's black shirt and the equally dark patch covering the thigh of his same pant leg.

"Sunstroke?" I uttered only to be met with bleak agreement upon Hoss and Adam's faces. "Good God!" I exclaimed as the grave realization hit me. Was I in danger of losing my son only after just having him returned to me?

"We need to get him back to the stream to cool him down!" I shouted as my eyes zeroed in on telltale sign of flushed patches forming along my youngest's cheekbones.

"No, Pa," Adam disagreed. His denial startling me, though I could tell he was struggling within himself to go against my directive. "The stream will only bring us back towards danger. We need to get Joe to the outpost. There's a doctor there."

"But that's farther away!" I argued knowing the sensibility of getting my youngest son's fevered body cooled down as soon as possible before allowing any more harm to come to him. The possibility of irreversible damage weighing heavily upon my thoughts.

"Yes," Adam acknowledged, "but who's to know if we'll even be able to reach the tributary again with what's out there. I think our safest bet would be to make towards Tyson Wells."

"I won't gamble with your brother's life!" I responded adamantly, nixing my eldest's suggestion.

"Look, Pa," Adam answered, "I don't want to gamble with Joe's life either, but what good will it do him, if he or any of us gets killed or captured while returning to that watering hole? Besides, there is no ground cover around. Returning there, we might be able to get Joe cooled down somewhat with the water it afforded us, but for how long? What he needs most is to get out of this blazing sun. To allow him to remain without shelter under these conditions or the means to expediently build one will more likely hinder than help him. It's a no win situation," Adam grounded out as his frustration with the situation at hand built within him.

He had a point there I had to acknowledge though I did not verbalize this thought as my mind worked overtime to come up with a better alternative than riding all the way back to Tyson Wells.

Before I could come up with one, I saw Adam use one hand to awkwardly reach for the canteen attached to his saddle as his other arm struggled to keep his incognizant brother from slipping from his grasp. "I could use the water to cool him down as we make our way back to the army post..." He began, trying to prove to himself as much as to us the feasibility of such a difficult task while remaining upon horseback.

Begrudgingly, I accepted this unlikely plan of action unable to come up with anything better for the time being except to fumble with my neckerchief , loosening the knot from around my throat so I could hand it to my oldest to use. There was no way he could hold his brother, guide his horse and pour water from a canteen into his cupped hand to use it to cool down Joseph, but if he could dampen this strip of brown cloth now and again while he slowed his horse, then just maybe he could cool Joe down somewhat until we returned him back to safety. In the meantime, Hoss and I could keep an eye out for trouble while searching the landscape for other possible alternatives to our dilemma. Tyson Wells seemed a long way off...too long when one of my son's lives was in jeopardy.

_TBC_


End file.
